A brilliant white light flashed within the territory—Aamon had returned.
The moment he stepped out, he was immediately tackled by two human-shaped missiles: Alexia and Yue.
The force of their collision nearly knocked the breath from him. As he staggered back and steadied himself, he looked down to see Yue clinging tightly to him, her face buried in his chest, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Gently brushing her tears away, Aamon asked softly, "Why are you crying? Just how many days have passed since I was gone?"
Still sniffling, Yue replied between sobs, "L-Lord, it's been a week since you disappeared… I thought… I thought you abandoned us because we were useless. We thought we were a burden, so you locked us in this place and left..."
Her voice broke, and she began crying uncontrollably again.
Aamon's expression softened as he stroked her hair in reassurance. Then, his gaze shifted to Alexia, who stood nearby, her arms crossed, face flushed as she turned away from him.
With a teasing smile, he asked, "So, did you miss me, Alexia?"
Alexia scoffed. "Who would miss a stinky Lord like you?" she muttered, rising to her feet and turning sharply, as if to walk away.
But Yue, now calming down, suddenly spoke up, "Alexia, it's not nice to lie. I saw you crying at night, saying you missed Lord Aamon… that you were afraid he had really left us."
Alexia's face turned beet red. "Y-Yue is lying!" she stammered. "I didn't cry!"
Aamon chuckled to himself. He could tease Alexia further, but judging by the steam coming off her face, he knew one more comment would push her over the edge. So, he decided to spare her—for now.
With a simple wave of his hand, a portal opened before them, shimmering with forest light on the other side.
"It's time to get serious about those missions," Aamon said, his tone shifting back to business.
The territory stirred with new energy, Aamon, Alexia, Yue stepped out collectively.
The towering trees of the forest once again loomed into view as Aamon and his team stepped through the portal.
Aamon's eyes narrowed as he scanned their surroundings. Something was different. His senses had sharpened—his perception, significantly heightened since the last time they were here. Every rustle in the leaves and faint shift in the wind now seemed more vivid, more precise.
Following their old tracks through the underbrush, they soon reached the familiar clearing where the team had previously fought and killed seven goblins. The memory of that short but brutal skirmish returned to Aamon—blood, fury, and the rush of triumph.
He had taken the ears from the goblins as proof of their kill, but had left the bodies behind, allowing nature to claim them.
Now, as he examined the scene, Aamon's eyes narrowed.
The corpses were gone.
The way the foliage was disturbed, the drag marks through the dirt—someone had moved them. And not just scavengers. The removal was too deliberate.
It wasn't goblins. Aamon was certain of that. Goblins were primitive, and more importantly, they didn't eat their own dead. This was something else.
"Something's wrong," Aamon muttered.
Alexia's eyes flicked toward him. "What is it?"
"The goblin corpses are gone. Dragged away. Not by goblins. They wouldn't do that." He stood up, eyes scanning the tree line. "This means there's another tribe nearby. One that feeds on goblin flesh—or at the very least, uses them."
Yue, floating lightly beside them, frowned. "If they're taking the bodies of First Order beasts, that likely means they themselves are mostly First Order too."
"Exactly," Aamon said grimly. "Which means they're within our current level. But that doesn't mean we can let our guard down. We don't know their numbers or how organized they are."
Alexia's hand instinctively went to the hilt of her blade. "Are we going after them?"
Aamon nodded. "We find them. Learn what they are. If they're a threat—or an opportunity—we act."
He paused, a dark glint in his eye.
"And if they think they can make a feast of our leftovers…"
He cracked his knuckles.
"…then we'll show them what it means to bite off more than they can chew."
Aamon crouched low, his fingers brushing against the dirt where faint drag marks disrupted the forest floor. The trail was subtle, but with his sharpened perception, every snapped twig and overturned leaf told a story. His eyes narrowed. The direction was clear—whoever had taken the goblin corpses hadn't tried to hide their tracks.
"Alexia, Yue," he said quietly, "we're heading northeast. Someone's been through here recently. Heavy enough to drag multiple bodies."
Alexia moved beside him, her crimson eyes scanning the trees. "You think they were looters?"
"Maybe," Aamon replied. "But goblin meat isn't exactly a treasure. This feels more… primal."
Yue hovered just behind them, wisps of spirit-light floating around her like fireflies. "I sense something up ahead. The air is… fouled. Blood, smoke, and something else—like scorched bone."
The trio advanced with caution, slipping silently between the massive roots and dense foliage. As they pressed forward, the forest grew darker, the air thicker with an oppressive heat. The distant crackle of fire reached their ears, followed by faint, guttural chatter.
Aamon raised a hand, motioning for them to stop. He gestured toward a low ridge. "Up there. We'll get a better look."
They scaled the ridge with practiced quiet, Aamon leading, Alexia trailing with blade drawn, Yue weaving a light distortion barrier to mask their presence.
When they reached the top, they finally saw it.
Nestled in a clearing below was a rough encampment, half-buried into the side of a small hill. Crude wooden palisades surrounded the camp, with bones and torn hides strung like trophies from the spikes. Fires burned in iron pits, casting flickering shadows across the rough-hewn huts and tents.
Dozens of short, reptilian humanoids moved through the camp—scaly-skinned, hunched, and armed with jagged bone weapons. Their snouts twitched as they sniffed the air, and their eyes gleamed like molten amber.